From the moment the news broke last Thursday that legendary Archbishop Molloy baseball and basketball coach Jack Curran died at the age of 82, sadness in his death and joy in the memory of the man swept across the metropolitan area.

The emotions were all wrapped into a funeral Mass at the Church of Resurrection in Rye yesterday as Curran, who suffered from lung and kidney problems in addition to breaking his knee cap recently, was laid to rest. There wasn’t an empty seat in the church, like it was the stands at Molloy for a big Friday night game.

“It was difficult, but it was also a celebration because you got to see so many people he revered and vice versa,” said Kenny Smith, the former Molloy great, and a two-time NBA champion with the Rockets who now serves as a broadcaster.

The service drew a slew of dignitaries, from Curran’s greatest players — such as Smith, Kenny Anderson, Kevin Joyce and Brian Winters — to Anderson’s coach at Georgia Tech, Bobby Cremins, and former St. John’s coach Lou Carnesecca, the man Curran succeeded at Molloy.

Everyone had a fond memory to share, a tear to shed and a laugh after a joke when imagining the straight-shooting legend, New York State’s all-time winningest coach who won 22 city titles, 17 in baseball and five in basketball over 55 memorable seasons. They shared tales of his selflessness, trust and an ability to mold young boys into men.

“It’s sad, but look, let’s rejoice,” Carnesecca said. “We had him for a lot of years.”

Smith brought the house down during his speech, when he talked about wanting to play varsity his sophomore year, but not having the nerve to ask Curran. When he finally did, the coach said: “I wasn’t going to ask you before you asked me.”

“It taught me a lesson about going after things you want in life and really understanding what it takes to be successful,” Smith said.

The two would spend up to seven hours a day together. Smith would become Curran’s pseudo-secretary when he wasn’t around, and in that time he learned how to mimic Curran’s voice to convince college coaches to come see Smith.

Smith finally lost it near the end of his speech, when explaining why he named his 5-year-old son Molloy. His wife liked the idea of naming their child after a school, but to Smith it was about one particular person inside Molloy.

“In my mind,” he said, pausing to gather his thoughts and dry his eyes, “I was naming my son after [Curran].”

A talented but troubled kid from Lefrak City, Anderson credited Curran with developing him as a person and a player. Anderson was given discipline and stability at a time when he desperately needed it, and in Curran a coach whom he could look up to, and couldn’t cross.

“I don’t know if my path would’ve been the same without him and without Molloy,” said Anderson, who was drafted by the Nets in the first round in 1991.

Cremins credited Curran for helping Frank McGuire, Curran’s high school coach at St. John’s, build winners at North Carolina and South Carolina. He talked about how even after he’s gone, Curran’s fingerprints are all over the current NCAA Tournament.

Russ Smith, Louisville’s standout junior guard who starred at Molloy under Curran’s tutelage, is playing in his coach’s honor. Miami head coach Jim Larranaga and his assistant, Chris Caputo, are both Molloy alums. A Louisville-Miami matchup in the championship game, which is set for April 8, is a popular pick among prognosticators.